I’m on my way to Wisconsin this weekend with one pair of boots and a trench coat (everything else is still in the pod!) so I’m hoping for some mild weather…and thinking about lots of warm and cozy slow cooker meals!

I’ve mentioned before that I used to have a snobby attitude about the slow cooker. My brother gave me a camouflaged crock pot one year for Christmas and I promptly returned it to K-Mart on December 27th. I believe I said something along the lines of “crock pots are for hicks.” I know, I know, so terrible! You know what they say, karma is a bi*#$! Now I love them. But I will say that I much prefer my stainless steel to camouflage…

A lot of the recipes for slow cookers can be a bit old-school, or midwestern (meat and potatoes) but I keep seeing new, modern, healthy and delicious sounding crock-pot recipes. And I’m all over them.

So when I spent a weekend on campus for yoga sculpt training, there just happened to be a Vietnamese restaurant right down the street that I had heard had delicious pho. Fate, right?

So the Taster and I headed to a local watering hole for a pre-dinner drink (no wine or cocktails at Bona) and then it was time to get serious. We both ordered the usual – pho with beef for me; pork noodle salad + shrimp for the Taster – for comparisons sake of course. We take this quest very seriously, you know.

Bona was pretty empty, but it was pretty early on a Saturday evening and we were probably there right when those crazy college kids are just waking up from afternoon naps. 😉 I will tell you that being back on campus (U of M graduate!) for a weekend was wonderful. I love it there.

My pho was delicious. Thankfully our server steered me away from getting pho and sauteed veggies and suggested that I just add the vegetables to my pho. You can add veggies to pho?! Yes please! The large pho which was $7.50 + veggies ($1.50). I only ate about 1/3-1/2 of it, the bowl was that HUGE! I’ll definitely get a small next time and be sure to add veggies from now on.

The Tasters salad was pretty blah and the shrimp that he had added for $1.50 were 2 mini ones. I think he would probably order something else next time – and with a menu of 5 pages, he’ll have no problem finding something.

I’ve never had Cincinnati Chili before and it hasn’t been until recently that I’ve even been tempted to try.

But when Bon Appétit featured a story about different regional chili recipes, it wasn’t the Squash and Black Bean California-inspired Chili that caught my eye, it was the thinner Cincy Chili, customarily served over spaghetti that had me add chili to next weeks menu. Proud? Not exactly. But totally honest.

It was delicious. And although you may scoff at the idea of adding cocoa and cinnamon (like the Taster), I promise it doesn’t taste sweet. 🙂 I wasn’t initially crazy about serving it over spaghetti, but with all of the appropriate toppings it was an amazingly filling meal. Best served with a salad.

Quang’s was the natural next choice for the Best Pho Quest – it’s been recommended many times and the awards throughout the years fill the entry way of the restaurant. Like many good ethnic restaurants, it’s located on Eat Street and so far, the Pho I’ve found on Eat Street has proven itself.

It’s a good thing that Pho is quite inexpensive, because now that winter is officially here, warm, spicy soup sounds all the better and I’m hoping this means my visits are more frequent. In fact, the night we visited Quang’s, my parents were in town and we were also hit with the first official snow of the season. The pho is so warming, that not even the coldest of toes are left unwarmed.

Quang’s was pretty busy, especially considering the snowy day and when we arrived, almost all of the tables were filled – always a good sign. The service was great, our waitress was adorable and when our spring rolls arrived, she told us it would be about 6 minutes until the meals arrived. Talk about quick service!

I often waffle between getting the meatballs and sliced beef or just sticking with the beef, and I think I’ll be skipping the meatballs from now on. No matter the restaurant, they always seem a bit off to me, Quang’s included. They had an odd sort of bounce to them, that was not really a desirable quality. The sliced beef was great and I think I’ll stick with that from now on.

Overall, the pho was great, but I really wasn’t wowed. The broth was a tad bland on it’s own, and wonderful once the lime juice and sriracha were added, but I know that I can’t call this the best out there. (This also means my search continues 🙂 )

It should also be noted that they do not sell any alcohol, and I usually like a little wine with my meal. Tea was fine this time, but only because it was so cold! 😉

The taster is also joining this Best Of Vietnamese quest, but sticking with the vermicelli salads. The grilled meat on this particular one was delicious and sweet and I must say that while I certainly prefer pho, I must say that I am also enjoying all of these salads.

Hi, I’m Emily

I spend my days working to ensure that low-income families have enough nutritious food and my nights doing the same, but for my family. I love playing in the kitchen, creating simple, fresh and nutritious meals. My husband and I live in LA (via Wisconsin) and are new-ish parents to one-year-old baby girl, Demi! Read More…